Williams’ post office opened in 1881, and 16% of its homes were built before 1940
More historic than 75% of U.S. towns · #3 of 140 in Arizona. What drives it
6 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 174 buildings between them. Below: 24 old photos and papers, maps from 1892 on, and the census since 1890.
Founding year: the first Williams post office (Blevins & Helbock, CC0).The full story ↓
History grade
What drives Williams’ History grade
On its age, its old homes and the National Register, Williams is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #3 of 140 in Arizona. Its National Register listings hold the grade up; its age pulls it down.
B+
HistoryA character grade: shown, never part of Williams’ overall grade.
Few Arizona towns list much on the Register (a typical Arizona town has 0.1 per 10,000 residents, the U.S. 2.4), so Williams’ 543 sits above most of its state (99% of Arizona towns have fewer) while its 183 historic buildings outnumber those of 93% of U.S. towns.
How sure. Graded on any two of the three inputs instead, the letter would range from C+ to A. The pre-1940 share is a Census survey estimate (±7.1 points). The founding year is the first post office, not a stated founding date.
Founding year: the first post office (other dates in Quick answers). Homes: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register: National Park Service, May 2026 list; each listing counted once (boundary changes and added documentation belong to their listing), and a historic district counts its contributing buildings. How TownRatings grades history →
What stands out about Williams’ past
Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Fire insurance maps drew every building, what it was made of and what it was used for, so insurers could price the risk of fire. Pick a year, then a sheet.
Founded in 1881, Williams was named for William Sherley "Old Bill" Williams (1787–1849), a famous trapper, trader, scout and mountain man, who often trapped in the area. A statue of "Old Bill" stands in Monument Park, located on the west side of the city. The large mountain directly to the south is named Bill Williams Mountain. The city was incorporated on July 9, 1901.
The Williams post office opened in 1881, the earliest record of the town by name (U.S. post office records).
How does Williams rank for history?
Williams is more historic than 75% of U.S. towns, #3 of 140 in Arizona. The History grade combines the town’s founding era, the share of homes built before 1940 and its National Register listings. It’s a character grade, so it isn’t part of the overall grade. How it works.
What is on the National Register in Williams?
6 listings: 3 buildings, 2 historic districts, the Williams Historic Business District and the Williams Residential Historic District, with 174 contributing buildings, and 1 structure. 183 historic buildings in all.
How old are the homes in Williams?
16% of Williams’ homes were built before 1940 (Census estimate, ±7.1 points), against a typical 0.4% for an Arizona town; the median home was built in 1993.
Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).
From Wikimedia Commons (3), the Library of Congress (21), the National Register of Historic Places (6), Wikipedia, Wikidata and Wikipedia for famous people, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock), the USGS Geographic Names Information System and Sanborn fire insurance maps (Library of Congress). Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.
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